Maintaining a website dedicated to all aspects of Nepal’s Micro hydro and NMHDA.

Publishing books/manuals/cds useful for development of micro hydro sector.

Highlight of NMHDA activities

NMHDA in AEPC Steering Committee and TRC

Representing NMHDA, the President was involved as a member of AEPC Steering Committee (SC) since the inception of AEPC for 15 years. In due course of time, NMHDA played active role for policy formulation and programme implementation by AEPC in micro hydro sector.

The Technical Review Committee at AEPC has an instrumental role to MHPs to bring into action. The technical aspects of a MHP to be established with subsidy support need to be studied and obtained ‘go ahead signal’ from TRC. Therefore the experts involved in TRC need to be highly responsible. NMHDA representative to Technical Review Committee has been successfully serving important role as a TRC member.

Training Centre:

NMHDA has been successful to produce well skilled manpower for micro hydropower sector by conducting around 80 training programmes so far, since 1996,. This has been possible as a number of experienced technical personalities are associated with NMHDA to produce themselves as resource persons for various training programmes. The staff members at NMHDA also have been successful in managing the human resource development activities. Furthermore, NMHDA has established a well equipped Training Centre with required education materials for both theory classes and practical lessons. The in house training centre established NMHDA’s own resource is equipped with all basic training instruments and materials. NMHDA takes the efforts for improvement of the training facilities as one of the priorities.

Dhamile Khola MMHP at Pharping, Kathmandu:

Keeping in view the requirement of a live site for training and studies on micro hydropower, NMHDA has moved ahead with the establishment of Model Micro Hydropower Project at Dakshinkali Municipality, ward No. 5 Bansbari, 12 km south-west from Kathmandu from the Ring Road at Balkhu. Civil construction works of weir, intake, headrace canal have been done. The electro-mechanical equipments and parts also have been fabricated for the Model MHP. There will be Pelton turbine and Crossflow turbine in a single Powerhouse to be run by two different sources of water. The Model MHP will be well used in the future as a MHP Technical Centre. The Model MHP will basically work as:

MH working demonstration in powerhouse

Training hall with demonstration of MH components and displays

Will conduct trainings on MHP

Will have skill testing facilities for skill test certification

Will support the centre based training to engineering colleges and technical training institutes

Provide visiting opportunities to science students of different levels

Manage the centre to allow and promote the common visitor to visit the centre

Description of some other Pioneer Activities:

Since its establishment the Association has started carrying out number of activities in order to fulfill its objectives. Some of the pioneering initial activities and present activities are as follows.

Training Activities:

Detailed information on training activities have been mentioned separately.

NMHDA has been successful in publishing useful books/manual/CDs for development of micro hydro sector. The manual for MHP Operation for operators and Construction and Installation Manual have been published by NMHDA with support of AEPC/ESAP and AEPC/RE-Source.

Micro/Mini Hydro Survey & Design Tools (book and CD) authored by Mr. Pushpa Chitrakar, hydropower specialist was published by NMHDA with support of AEPC/NRREP.

Micro Hydro Exhibition:

In order to inform the contemporary status of micro hydro to political leaders, concerned government officials and experts, intellectuals, students and general people the association takes part in relevant demonstrative events. One of such events was the Micro Hydro Exhibition staged on from 1st August to 3rd August 1998 at The Russian Center of Science and Culture, Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu. All the members of the Association along with I/NGOs viz.; ICIMOD, IUCN, ITDG/N, CRT and Agricultural Development Bank/Nepal participated in the exhibition with their products and services – machinery, equipment, posters, photographs, charts etc. that reflected the activities and achievements towards development of micro hydropower in Nepal. The association also placed a lively model of a village electrified with micro hydro plant in the exhibition. The visitors during exhibition were also made familiarized with the importance of micro hydropower for the development of rural Nepal through a number of talk programmes, video shows on various aspects of micro hydro also held during the exhibition. The Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) Nepal has extended their financial support to carry out the exhibition successfully.

Following to successful exhibition organized by NMHDA itself, the association finds exhibiting opportunities in the events organized by various other organizations. Those events proved effective to build public opinion and create public awareness on micro hydropower technology and its usefulness.

Thus, NMHDA has participated in various relevant exhibitions organized by Nepal Electrical Association/Federation of Electrical Entrepreneurs’ Association Nepal, Himal Media, NAST in association with SEMAN as stated below. Materials exhibited in the events were mainly the MH landscape model, real size turbines and Peltric set and photos. The persons assigned for the exhibition were successful to draw attentions of the visitors and explain them the usefulness. The visitors usually appreciate the stall and its purpose. Magazines, brochures and other reading materials were also distributed to the visitors to make micro hydro matter more impressive to the people of all walks of life.

Visual television programmes

NMHDA has been successful in producing materials to telecast from television channels. The materials produced by shooting the events of interaction programmes on burning issues related to policies of the state, practical hindrances and smooth way outs were successful productions to create mass awareness, specially the intellectuals, institutions and individuals involved in the development of Micro hydro and other RETs in the country.

Excerpts of the interaction programme during 20th NMHDA AGM in 2013 and 21st NMHDA AGM in 2014 telecasted through News 24 and Image channel respectively were a kind of land mark in information dissemination and creating public awareness.

Other Activities:

The Association has actively participated in various seminars, workshops and meetings. It also provides useful information and advises to policy makers.

Information to entrepreneurs

The Association is at the service to provide information to entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs.

Talk Programmes

The Association is regularly participating talk programmes on various aspect of micro hydro including technical, socio-economics, environment etc., to journalists, technical persons, political leaders, social workers, students, people of remote villages and other walk of life. FEEN, Himal Media and some other are the usual hosts of such talk programmes to share knowledge and experiences.